Mumbai: A magistrates court recently acquitted a man and his aged parents in a case of cruelty to wife under section 498-A of the Indian Penal Code.The court held that the young wife,who made these allegations of cruelty and harassment over dowry,could not substantiate them.
It was a routine trial for the lawyers,but for the mother-in-law charged of abuse and harassment,the acquittal was a vindication of sorts.The 62-year-old woman felt she had come out of a nightmare.She is not alone,many others feel hurt and at the mercy of the legal process once their daughters-in-law or sisters-in-law initiate a criminal case against them under section 498-A.
National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) says that between 2004 and 2007,1.2 lakh women were arrested for an offence under section 498-A,the section many men find draconian,but which aims at preventing torture of helpless wives over dowry.
This Womens Day,a group of women and men have come together as Mothers and Sisters of Husbands against Abuse of Law (MASHAAL) to protest the misuse of section 498-A.The group is part of a local NGO,Indian Family Foundation,which aims tackle the abuse of law.
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Bengaluru, Nov. 10: Akhila Karnataka Aththeyara Rakshana Vedike (Mothers-in-laws Association) in association with the Save Indian Family Foundation and the Child Rights Initiative for Shared Parenting will observe the National Family Harmony Day by holding a debate on the misuse of IPC section 498a (cruelty against women by spouses and other family members) in Bengaluru on Thursday. As per the National Crime Record Bureau, 1,23,000 women have been arrested between 2004 and 2007 under section 498a.
However, a report from the Centre for Social Research has revealed that only 2 per cent of such dowry harassment cases receive conviction, implying that the remaining has been victims of legal misuse as well, said Janaki Srinivasan, member of the Akhila Karnataka Aththeyara Rakshana Vedike. Over 200 mothers-in-laws from across the country are expected to take part in the meeting to be held between 2 pm and 5 pm at the Shaneswara Temple Hall at Hanumanthnagar
Tags: conviction, crime record, Daughter-in-Law, debate, domestic violence, dowry, family foundation, family harmony, family members, harassment cases, harmony day, Indian Family, initiative, ipc, Marriage, mother-in-law, national crime, parenting, temple hall, violence against women, Women, Women's Rights
